A Toast To The Sea!
by LegolasLover2003
Summary: How did Jack and Gibbs manage to get back out to sea after recovering the Pearl's bottle? A ferryman their savior may be but not one to be ferrying the living. Small one-shot that I just couldn't get out of my head today after finally seeing POTC4.


**Title:** _A Toast To The Sea!_  
**Author:** LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley  
**Category:** Movie - _"Pirates of the Caribbean"_  
**Genre:** General  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to _"Pirates of the Caribbean"_. I just like writing for Will.  
**Note:** This story was written after I finally brought myself around to watching _"On Stranger Tides"_ and it kinda popped into my head during the credits.  
**Note 2:** THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR ALL FOUR _"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN"_ FILMS BELOW! **DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THEM ALL!**

* * *

"This be a bad idea, you mark my words…"  
"Noted."  
The waves were calm… in fact the eeriness which had settled upon the sea was almost deafening. Pirate and parrot alike remained silent, as if holding their breath and waiting for a wisp of wind to stir the sails. Or rather they would have… if this had been the Black Pearl…  
All things considered, the last few times Jack Sparrow had been waiting for this particular moment, the seas had been churning with a gut wrenching velocity that would've made even the hardiest sailor sick in his bones. Such dramatic flair however, Sparrow knew, was certainly not the forte of the one whom he waited for these days.  
No… that had gone by the wayside with the old captain.  
The new… well…  
"I'd like to remind ya, Jack that this will be lookin' of a mighty suspicious nature."  
"Noted again, Mister Gibbs."  
Licking his dry lips, the usually wary first mate's eyes flickered out to the dark seas about them. Here and there were bits and pieces of floating… well… ship… wood to be exact. There were many a dead crewman about them, some bloated and floating in the water, others half eaten as if something had taken it's fill then spat the larger meatier morsels back out to bob in the surf.  
"Also Jack, I…"  
Sighing Sparrow turned around, fixing his first mate with a wide-eyed stare, "We're not dead and we're not dyin', savvy? We've no reason to…"  
Suddenly however, the man's words were cut off as an explosion of water sounded just to port of the half sunken vessel. The sea spray flew in all directions, splattering over the two men and soaking them through and through. Jack spit water from his mouth as he idly watched the large vessel come about, its hull nearly slamming into that which floundered. With a creaking moan the ship settled, waves lapping at the broken keel, threatening to send the wreck to the depths of the sea.  
There was a sigh from behind the pirate who put on his best smile and spun around, arms out wide in greeting. But before he could say anything, the figure who had seemingly materialized out of the sea itself, quirked one eyebrow.  
"Jack Sparrow… I should've known I'd see you again eventually. Though to be honest I had hoped your time wouldn't come quite this soon."  
Smile remaining in place, the very corner of Jack's lips curved just enough to give that smile a smirk, "Welcome aboard the, ugh… what was this ship's name again, Mister Gibbs?"  
"The HMS Providence, cap'n." replied the portly man from nearby.  
Jack nodded, turning his attention back to the new arrival. "Welcome aboard the Providence, Captain Turner."  
At this twist of fate, Will could only sigh…

* * *

**A Toast To The Sea!**

* * *

"So, let me get this straight…" Will spoke from the comforts of his own ship's cabin.  
Being captain certainly had its benefits, and one of those was being able to simply put one's own boots up on a desk and kick back, so to speak. After having sorted out who was dead and who was living… which the dead being everyone save his own two previous shipmates, it was down to business as to why Captain Jack Sparrow and his tall-tale-telling first mate Joshamee Gibbs, had been the only survivors of what William could only guess was a massacre.  
"You," at this, the captain of the Flying Dutchman pointed to Sparrow. "Swam out to the Providence on the sole hope that I would simply happen by and ferry you to a port. Is that it?"  
"Yes."  
Will rolled his eyes, "I am not your personal carriage, Jack! Besides, you know very well I can't put into any port."  
"True. True." The pirate had his hands up in an obvious attempt to placate his fellow captain. "But you ARE a ferry."  
"For the dead, Jack. I don't exactly see you with your entrails hanging out or your skin bloated from weeks left at sea." Will replied, one hand indicting Sparrow's own person. "Besides, you stirred up the mermaids. Do you know how difficult it is to ferry half eaten corpses? Those mermaids will be riled up for months with what you did here."  
"Ah, actually…" Jack held up one finger in protest.  
The pirate captain was sitting on the other side of the desk in a high backed chain similar to Will's own. However, he hadn't quite adopted the same relaxed pose that his fellow captain had.  
"THAT was Blackbeard's doing."  
Will blinked, sitting up in his chair, his boots hitting the floor. "Where IS Blackbeard?"  
"Ahhh…." The smile that crept onto Sparrow's face was more than telling to the former blacksmith.  
He'd gone and said something stupid…  
"Jack… where is Blackbeard?" Will asked again. "Tell me now or I'll have you and Gibbs tossed overboard."  
The smile turned upside down, "Honestly, William. I don't know."  
"Mister Turner!"  
In walked Bootstrap Bill Turner, father of the newly 'promoted' captain of the Flying Dutchman and former crew member under Jack Sparrow himself.  
"Hi ya, Jack."  
"Bootstrap!" the pirate captain smiled again.  
"Have Captain Sparrow and Mister Gibbs tossed overboard, Mister Turner." said Will, the young man not even batting an eyelash.  
Once again, Jack's smile turned upside down. "Honestly. When have I ever marooned you at... oh wait, never mind…" that frown deepened. "Look. Blackbeard's dead at any rate and…"  
"Blackbeard's dead. Yes I know. Which is WHY I am looking for him."  
Understanding dawned on Jack's face and that frown once more turned into a smile. "Well you'll be happy to know he melted away into a skeleton before the steps of the fountain of youth. So you needn't be searching for his soul to ferry away. Plus he didn't even die in the sea so..."  
Silence.  
"Honest. Would I lie to… never mind again… The point is, William, I am in possession of my ship and all I need is a bit of a ride to as close to port as you can bring me. Savvy?"  
Sighing, Will leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "So Blackbeard angered the mermaids and… wait but the Providence is not the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack. Where is THAT ship?"  
"Barbossa."  
Rolling his eyes, the young man groaned, "I should've known. Why did I even ask? Why do I ever ask?" sighing once more, Will nodded. "Fine. I'll ferry you to a few leagues outside of Tortuga. After that though, you're on your own, Jack. I really don't want to see you until… well… you're not immortal now, are you?"  
"Not a chance." Jack replied with a smile. "I figure my time'll come one day. No fun to live forever. No offense, mate."  
Will returned that smile with a small one of his own. "None taken. Just… no more using the Dutchman as a ferry. And for Pete's-sake make sure you keep well away from Elizabeth and…"  
"I know. I know. No worries, mate." Jack replied, his gaze unable to help straying to the large scar upon his former crew member's chest, half hidden by the cream colored shirt that the younger Turner wore open.  
Nodding, the Flying Dutchman's captain was about to get to his feet when something else occurred to him. "I came to Whitecap Bay with the hopes of taking Blackbeard's soul with me, and instead I get a ship full of British sailors. You tell me that Barbossa has stolen the Queen Anne's Revenge so I can only suspect he has also stolen Blackbeard's crew in the process. But what of you, Jack? You said you were 'in possession of your ship'… but I don't exactly see your ship anywhere…"  
Jack laughed before placing a ship in a bottle, a ship with black sails no less, upon the desk. "Now, I just need three goats and…"  
"And spare me the explanation. I really don't want to know." The younger Turner spoke, laughing at the absurdity of it all.  
Standing, Will motioned for Bootstrap to join them at the desk which could easily double as a table. Before Bill did however, he popped his head out the door and called for Gibbs to come in as well. If they were going to ferry the pair to port, might as well catch up on old times on the way…  
Not liking things done for him, Will soon poured four mugs of rum, sliding them to each man before setting the bottle on the table in their midst.  
"A toast." said Will Turner with a smile. "To the sea."  
"To fortune." added Gibbs.  
"To the journey." remarked Bootstrap.  
Long sea-weathered fingers settled comfortably over the glass of the Black Pearl's bottle and Jack Sparrow smirked as he raised his own mug.  
"To the Pearl."

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Honestly, this was just a drivel I wrote up cause it was in my head and wouldn't go away and I knew it needed to be written or else it would give me writer's block to everything else until it was done.  
It's explaining how Jack and Gibbs got 'rescued' after their adventures with the fountain of youth.  
It's also because I've always wanted to write at least SOMETHING with CAPTAIN Will Turner, hehehe!  
Anyway yes, it's drivel so please don't hate me for it. I did however try to make it logical AND movie factual...

* * *

**Muse Moments:  
**Nil sighed, grabbing her POTC dvds off the aptly named "Orlando Bloom" shelf and taking then over to the dvd player.  
"What are you doing?" Legolas asked with an upraised eyebrow.  
"Don't look at me like your ada does." Nil replied, somehow having eyes in the back of her head. "I watched _'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'_ and now I need to watch Will."  
Legolas laughed as he stretched out comfortably on the bed. "You could not handle it without Turner... could you?"  
"It was driving me insane! I just... It's not that it didn't work or that it wasn't good and entertaining but... it's just not 'Pirates' without Will." Nil replied, popping _'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'_ in the dvd player. "Plus the music just all sounded super recycled. I mean, I can distinctly tell you if a song originated in POTC1, POTC2, or POTC3, but there was no piece of music in POTC4 that I can say was recognizable... you know?"  
"No, I do not know but you are the music connoisseur, not I."  
Nil blinked, turning to look at the Elf. "Where did you get THAT word?"  
Legolas shrugged, "I heard someone selling wine at the store say that my father was a 'connoisseur of great vintages'."  
Rolling her eyes, Nil decided to use Legolas as a pillow, since Paris still had yet to forgive her for betting on his figure skating failures. "Thranduil and his wine will be the death of me..."


End file.
